Out of Character
by GalaxyOwl13
Summary: A bunch of short stories about a variety of characters in Book 3. One posted so far, more come soon. Hermione forgets her homework, Ron argues with his chess set, and Ginny shops for a new diary. Rated K plus because I'm over-cautious.
1. Chapter 1

The five words you don't want to hear when you've spent 14 hours studying yesterday, sure you were forgetting something. You did your Arithmancy, an extra foot on History of Magic essay, and studied for exams in Muggle Studies, Divination, and Potions, plus two hours preparing Buckbeak's appeal. She knew something was missing. She was _forgetting_ something. Hermione had supposed that it was the Time-Turner, playing with time had unknown side effects. She resolved to do it during the 25th hour of the 32nd day of this month. It wasn't like she couldn't do it. It was Professor McGonagall who said those words, and Hermione knew before she had even finished the third word. She had _failed_.

"Please take out your homework." Now that Hermione remembered, there had been homework, an essay on transformation on guinea pigs. Professor McGonagall went from desk to desk, picking up essays from each desk. When she saw no homework on Hermione's desk, she passes by wordlessly. Hermione looked down, pretending to examine the fur color of her guinea pig. Ron snorted, but Hermione pretended she didn't notice. After all the essays were collected, class continued as usual. But Hermione couldn't concentrate. She had forgotten a very important homework assignment, and even though she had learned this a year ago, she just couldn't get it right. She started to stare at the guinea pig and then she just…skipped. Everyone was in positions that they weren't before. Time was breaking down, just a little bit, but it was all the same. She couldn't keep doing this.

Finally, Transformation finished, and Hermione stood up quickly, banging her knee on the desk. Everyone filed out of the classroom, Hermione last. But Professor McGonagall stopped her. "Miss Granger, can you please stay after class?" Hermione turned around. This would be the part where McGonagall would say how disappointed she was with Hermione, making her feel even worse. And she knew she deserved it too. She had a Time-Turner, it wasn't as if she didn't have the time.

"Miss Granger," she began. _Just get it over with already,_ Hermione thought. "I'm very worried about you." That wasn't what Hermione had been expecting at all. "You're working yourself too hard. Even if you can't see the effects, I certainly can. As can Professor Dumbledore."

Hermione thought it unlikely that Dumbledore actually payed attention to her, or anyone for that matter, but she didn't say anything on that matter. "When I gave you the Time-Turner, the Ministry cautioned me on what can happen if you over-use it. I just want you to understand that you can turn it in at any time and drop the necessary classes." Professor McGonagall told her. She seemed to be waiting for Hermione to say something.

"Professor, I really need to take those classes."

"You'll soon come to realize that you really don't. I just ask you to think about your health."

"I will."

"You may go now." Professor McGonagall told her.

"And Miss Granger," she added as Hermione turned to leave, "that was the most excellent transfiguration of a guinea pig I've seen."


	2. Chapter 2

Kn = Knight

K = King

P = Pawn

B = Bishop

R = Rook

Q = Queen

W = Ron Weasley

Kn: It's your fault, Wersaly.

W: I told you, that's not my name.

R: Well you don't much deserve any name at all.

W: Yes I do!

B: And why is that?

K: You have lost. To Harry Potter. At chess. You have disgraced my name!

W: It was once. Once!

R: And now you have fallen.

W: The queen made that move. Blame the queen!

Q: I made that move because you told me to.

W: So you're saying you saw something wrong?

Q: Of course.

W: Then why didn't you protest?

Q: I only assumed you saw something I didn't.

W: No, you were trying to make _him_ angry at me?

Q: I would never.

W: Prove it.

Q: I assure you, getting taken is quite painful.

P1: And.

P2: It.

P4: Is.

P5: Entirely.

P3: Good.

P6: Job.

P8: Pawn.

P7: Four.

P2: Your.

P6: Fault.

W: I said, it's not. And why do you talk so weird?

P2: We.

P8: Can.

P1: Only.

B: Speak single words. We know.

R: And you're so slow!

W: You know, the king's also really slow.

B: Come to think of it, he is, but –

W: And you all have to protect him for some reason.

P5: Yeah!

Q: It's true. He never gets taken!

P2: And.

P5: He.

P2: Doesn't.

P1: Care.

P7: About.

P8: Us!

K: Nonsense.

Kn: I'm the only one that can move in an L shape. Why are we serving you?

K: Because…

Q: And you treat me and the other pieces like trash.

W: Yeah, what's wrong with you king?

P3: Let's.

P5: Get.

P7: Him!

B: Right!

SMASH!

SMASH!

K: I order you to surrender.

B: You surrender!

K: Never!

Kn: Surrender!

K: Never!

Kn: Surrender!

K: Never!

Kn: Surr –

Q: No, you idiot, we don't want a stalemate.

Kn: Don't call me that!

SMASH!

W: I guess I'll be going now.


	3. Chapter 3

**This will be a long one compared to the other two. I don't own Harry Potter.**

"Come on," Ginny said, pulling Loony Lovegood towards the diary shop. Her father had given her some money to spend in Diagon Alley while her mother bought birthday gifts. It was incredibly rare that Ginny was given so much as a sickle of money, and she had been incredibly excited when she heard that she would be able to go buy herself a diary and some ice cream. Of course, her mother just _had_ to ruin it by forcing her to babysit "poor" Loony Lovegood. Everyone felt sorry for that girl because her mother was dead and she and her father were insane, but she wasn't allowed to say that. "We're going to Daisy's Delightful Diaries."

Loony paused for a second, and then smiled happily, bouncing up and down. "Maybe we'll see a Blibbering Humdinger!"

"Er, a what?" Ginny asked impatiently.

"They inhabit bookshops and schools," Luna explained, "because they like places where knowledge is spreading."

"Blibbering Humdingers don't exist, Loony." Ginny said under her breath.

"Of course they do." Loony said adamantly.

"Sure, whatever." Ginny said, opening the door to the diary shop. She went straight towards the children's section, hoping that anything there might be cheaper.

Each of the diaries had some sort of enchantments on them, making each one pretty expensive. Ginny picked up a green one with the Holyhead Harpies symbol on it, but was annoyed to find that she couldn't afford it. Next, she picked up a sunset orange one, but it had way to many enchantments for her to afford. She heard something behind her and turned around.

Loony Lovegood was talking to Mr. Diggle, who looked rather confused. "…and my father says that there should be a Blibbering Humdinger in here," Luna was saying, "although I'm not so sure. I think there's something else, perhaps an Umbugular Slashkiller disguising its magical signature as one."

"Er, very nice, young lady, but I must be on my way." Mr. Diggle said nervously.

"Oh, but don't you want to see the nargles? They're gathering," Luna explained.

"I'm afraid such creatures don't exist."

"Of course they do!" Luna replied, shoving a copy of The Quibbler in front of his nose. "My father has come by a real Crumple-Horned Snorkack horn recently, and he's currently debating with the rest of his expedition who gets to keep it."

"Loony!" Ginny said trying to get her attention. "Loony! Loony!" Loony Lovegood still wasn't paying attention. "LUNA!"

"Yes?" Loony asked, smiling serenely.

"Stop annoying the customers and come over here." Why, oh _why_ did Ginny have to be stuck babysitting Loony Lovegood?

Loony came over to her, but soon got bored and started sitting on the ground, picking at the threads of her neon green sock. Ginny could just imagine her mother inside her head. "Look at that poor girl – she doesn't have friends, and you're no help! No child of _mine_ is going to be that mean! Include her! Or you're going home!"

"Shut up, mum." Ginny said forcefully.

"What?" Loony asked from the floor, now drawing blue cats on her neon orange sock with a marker.

"Nothing."

"You said 'shut up, mum'." Loony explained. "Unless you don't remember? I blame the nargles. They're infesting this area a lot today."

"I heard my mum scolding me inside my head, and I told her to shut up." Ginny answered, turning back to the books. Loony, however, erupted into laughter, rolling around on the floor as an uncomfortable Mr. Diggle raced out the door. "Wow, you managed to out-weird Mr. Diggle!" Ginny giggled.

"You – said – shut – up – mum!" Loony said gasping with laughter.

"I suppose I did." Ginny said. Perhaps she should include Loony. "Here, what do you think of this one?" She asked, showing Loony a fluffy pink one with enchantments to make it purr when you pet it.

"The nargles like it." Loony answered.

"Is that…a good thing?" Ginny asked.

"Depends. Do you want to be infested with nargles?"

"Er, that sound bad." Ginny decided. It was way too expensive anyway. She turned back to the shelf and began to look for diaries, but everything she found cost way more than she had.

"This one repels nargles." Loony said, holding out a small red book with gold writing on the top saying _YOUR NAME HERE's Diary_. The tag gave a reasonable price, said that the diary would be waterproof and mildly intruder proof. Ginny shuddered when she thought of the diary that she had flushed down the toilet last year, but soon banished the thought from her mind.

"Thanks, Loony – er, Luna."

"You're welcome." Luna smiled.

"Let's go get some ice cream." Ginny said, pulling Luna along to Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. "Here." She said, splitting the remaining money in two. It was enough for a single scoop of ice cream on a cone.

"It's fine – you don't have to do that." Luna said, pushing her half away from her.

"My mom will be really upset if I eat some without buying some for the guest." Ginny explained. "Plus you helped me find a diary."

"Thanks!" Luna said happily. Ginny ordered a chocolate cone and Luna ordered 'Pumpkin Raspberry'.

"Eww." Ginny said.

"I quite like it. Do you know that brain freeze invites the nargles in?"

"Well, er, now I do." Ginny said, deciding that it was pointless to argue with Luna, even though she wasn't quite sure what a brain was.

"Yes. That's why I always wait until my ice cream is melted." Luna explained.

"Sure." Ginny said, biting into her chocolate ice cream.

"You're supposed to lick it." Luna commented.

" _You're_ lecturing me on conforming to society's expectations?" Ginny asked skeptically.

"Fair point." Luna giggled, licking her Pumpkin Raspberry ice cream. "You look like a chocolate monster." Ginny started laughing, although she wasn't entirely certain why.

"Well, you look like a pumpkin monster!"

"A…pumpkin monster?" Luna wondered.

"Yeah, like the Bippdy-Bop-Boop pumpkin monster from Cinder-yell-huh that stole her shoe!" Ginny said.

Luna just started laughing hysterically. "Bippdy-Bop-Boop pumpkin monster! Cinder-yell-huh!"

"What?" Ginny asked, confused.

"It's Cinderella, and the pumpkin was a carriage to the ball!" Luna explained, gasping for air.

"Yeah, well, Dad told me differently!" Ginny told her stubbornly.

"Seriously. I can show you if you come over to my house tomorrow." Luna suggested. "I've got a shortened version of the Muggle book."

"You _sure_ that it's not just like your imaginary creatures? It actually exists?"

"It's a Muggle story, not nonfiction. But the Muggles really do tell it. And nargles, Umbugular Slashkillers, Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, and Comradish Prexishers do too exist!" Luna insisted.

"Comradish Prexishers? Is that a new one?" Ginny asked.

"I saw one, just now." Luna explained. "They like to come around when you're isolated and cement the bonds of comradery and acquaintance."

"Huh?" Ginny asked.

"They come to you when you're lonely and help you make friends." Luna said simply.


End file.
